People & Places

BEST ACOUSTIC PERFORMER Minneapolis 2006 - House of Mercy

Walk into St. Paul's Turf Club one Sunday night a month, and you'll be treated to an old-timey hootenanny radio broadcast, the likes of which may have never taken place around these parts before. Reminiscent of flatbed-truck revival meetings hosted by Bob Wills and the Carter Family and/or Hank Williams's "Health and Happiness Show," the House of Mercy Band soars on a magic carpet ride of fiddle and acoustic guitar. (If it's a more staid definition of "acoustic" you're hankering for, there are several groovy coffeehouse pickers to be had.) The most frequently heard adjective used to describe the vibe of the HOM's monthly Sunday gig is "cozy," but that doesn't quite do it. Not when Satan is ever present, heathen guest stars abound, and the acoustic can sound like alchemy.